How popular is the baby name Alex in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Alex.

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Popularity of the baby name Alex


Posts that mention the name Alex

Popular baby names in Slovakia, 2023

Flag of Slovakia
Flag of Slovakia

The top baby names in Slovakia during the first eleven and a half months of 2023 were Sofia and Jakub, according to the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic.

Here are the country’s top 20 girl names and top 20 boy names of 2023 (from January 1 to December 14):

Girl names

  1. Sofia, 615 baby girls
  2. Eliška, 555
  3. Viktória, 534
  4. Nina, 512
  5. Natália, 498
  6. Ema, 496
  7. Sára, 492
  8. Nela, 423
  9. Olívia, 400
  10. Mia, 379
  11. Hana, 373
  12. Diana, 355
  13. Laura, 340
  14. Tamara, 335
  15. Anna, 331
  16. Emma, 314
  17. Timea, 296
  18. Karolína, 285
  19. Júlia, 283
  20. Kristína, 270

Boy names

  1. Jakub, 914 baby boys
  2. Samuel, 798
  3. Adam, 792
  4. Šimon, 742
  5. Michal, 682
  6. Oliver, 663
  7. Tomáš, 602
  8. Filip, 521
  9. Matej, 501
  10. Martin, 483
  11. Tobias, 471
  12. Lukáš, 460
  13. Matúš, 445
  14. Alex, 440
  15. Dominik, 433
  16. Richard, 414
  17. Peter, 412
  18. Dávid, 390
  19. Patrik , 386
  20. Matias, 369

Since 2010, the top two names in Slovakia have predominantly been Sofia and Jakub. (Adam reached the top spot for boys in 2014 and 2015; Ema and Nina reached the top spot for girls in 2020 and 2021, respectively.)

From 2003 to 2009, the top two names were Viktória and Samuel.

Finally, here are Slovakia’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Source: Najpopulárnejšími menami novorodencov v roku 2023 boli opät’ Sofia a Jakub – Ministerstvo vnútra SR

Image: Adapted from Flag of Slovakia (public domain)

Popular baby names in Puerto Rico, 2023

Flag of Puerto Rico
Flag of Puerto Rico

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico welcomes roughly 19,000 babies per year.

Last year, the most popular baby names in Puerto Rico were Valentina and Thiago.

Here are Puerto Rico’s top 50 girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Valentina, 177 baby girls
  2. Aurora, 113 (tie)
  3. Emma, 113 (tie)
  4. Victoria, 100
  5. Catalina, 94 (tie)
  6. Luna, 94 (tie)
  7. Amaia, 89 (tie)
  8. Gianna, 89 (tie)
  9. Isabella, 88
  10. Alaia, 82
  11. Mia, 80
  12. Mikaela, 78
  13. Ainara, 75 (tie)
  14. Amira, 75 (tie)
  15. Milena, 70
  16. Amalia, 68
  17. Amanda, 66
  18. Antonella, 65
  19. Camila, 62
  20. Amelia, 61
  21. Elena, 57 (tie)
  22. Leah, 57 (tie)
  23. Paula, 56
  24. Sofia, 54
  25. Kamila, 50
  26. Gia, 47
  27. Stella, 42
  28. Mila, 41
  29. Ainhoa, 40
  30. Sophia, 39
  31. Adara, 38
  32. Lia, 36
  33. Alana, 35
  34. Amirah, 32 (4-way tie)
  35. Nahia, 32 (4-way tie)
  36. Nahiara, 32 (4-way tie)
  37. Valeria, 32 (4-way tie)
  38. Andrea, 31
  39. Paulette, 30
  40. Alanna, 29 (tie)
  41. Brianna, 29 (tie)
  42. Adhara, 28 (4-way tie)
  43. Amahia, 28 (4-way tie)
  44. Ana, 28 (4-way tie)
  45. Gabriela, 28 (4-way tie)
  46. Paulina, 27
  47. Amaya, 25 (4-way tie)
  48. Arlet, 25 (4-way tie)
  49. Katalina, 25 (4-way tie)
  50. Mariana, 25 (4-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Thiago, 290 baby boys
  2. Liam, 264
  3. Noah, 201
  4. Mateo, 156
  5. Sebastian, 146
  6. Lucas, 140
  7. Dylan, 119
  8. Ian, 115
  9. Matias, 94
  10. Adrian, 89 (tie)
  11. Elian, 89 (tie)
  12. Jayden, 84
  13. Mauro, 79
  14. Angel, 77
  15. Milan, 76
  16. Ethan, 74
  17. Nicolas, 70
  18. Jacob, 67
  19. Fabian, 66
  20. Diego, 65
  21. Elias, 63
  22. Gael, 59
  23. Aaron, 56
  24. Isaac, 51
  25. Eithan, 50 (tie)
  26. Eliam, 50 (tie)
  27. Gian, 49
  28. Enzo, 48
  29. Evan, 45 (tie)
  30. Luis, 45 (tie)
  31. Isaias, 44 (tie)
  32. Matteo, 44 (tie)
  33. Daniel, 42
  34. Julian, 40
  35. Caleb, 37
  36. Eiden, 36 (3-way tie)
  37. Gabriel, 36 (3-way tie)
  38. Matthew, 36 (3-way tie)
  39. Carlos, 34 (tie)
  40. Santiago, 34 (tie)
  41. Aiden, 33 (3-way tie)
  42. Damian, 33 (3-way tie)
  43. Dario, 33 (3-way tie)
  44. Alejandro, 32 (tie)
  45. Amir, 32 (tie)
  46. Alan, 30
  47. Alvaro, 29 (3-way tie)
  48. Keyden, 29 (3-way tie)
  49. Ryan, 29 (3-way tie)
  50. Iker, 28 (3-way tie)
  51. Jose, 28 (3-way tie)
  52. Zaid, 28 (3-way tie)

Eiden on the boys’ list caught my attention, as Eiden was also mentioned in the SSA’s press release this year. It’s on the rise both in the U.S. and in Puerto Rico right now.

The person who wrote the press release theorized that the rise of Eiden was being fueled by Wisconsin-based influencer Wyatt Eiden. But the name’s increasing popularity in Puerto Rico — plus the fact that 40% of Eiden’s U.S. usage occurred in four states with large Spanish-speaking populations (TX, CA, NY, and FL) — makes me think the name is being used primarily among U.S.-based Latin Americans (who are probably not watching Wyatt Eiden’s English-language interview/trivia videos on TikTok).

(And now I’m thinking of a recent comment by alex, who noticed that “names that have seen some use in Caribbean Latin America for 20+ years” are starting to pop up in the U.S. data, and wondered if Venezuelan immigration might have something to do with it…)

In 2022, the top names in Puerto Rico were Valentina and Liam.

Finally, what were the most popular baby names in all the other U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands) combined last year? Olivia and Elijah.

Sources: Popular Names by Territory – SSA, State and Territorial Data – National Center for Health Statistics – CDC

Image: Adapted from Flag of Puerto Rico (public domain)

Boy names that debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2023

lotus bud

Which boy names emerged in the U.S. baby name data in 2023 for the first time ever?

A total of 583 boy names debuted in the data last year, and the most impressive debut was made by Kaiyr. Here are the top debuts overall:

  1. Kaiyr, 40 baby boys
  2. Neteyam, 38
  3. Tulsen, 21
  4. Aire, 20
  5. Shubhdeep, 19
  6. Rhyzen, 18
  7. Aysun, 17
  8. Zakyius, 16
  9. Kalias, 15
  10. Namor, 14
  11. Takrim, 14
  12. Yeider, 14

Aire comes from a celebrity baby name-change. (In February of 2022, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott had a baby boy initially named Wolf. In January of 2023, Kylie announced via Instagram that the baby was now called Aire — pronounced just like the word air — and his name was legally changed several months later.)

Namor is a character from the 2022 movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. (He’s the cousin of Namora, whose name debuted last year as well.)

Here are some more debuts:

13 baby boysAhsaias, Azaias, Azire, Syxx
12 baby boysAmiree, Elhan, Emiri, Jacaerys, Mazieon
11 baby boysAzaylion, Chrome, Deivis, Iceland, Jahani, Jeyler, Kaizir, Kassaius, Khozen, Muhammadyasin, Rizen, Shedeur, Yeiler
10 baby boysEthic, Hassiah, Jazaire, Keyder, Masani, Shritik, Yoridan

College football player Shedeur Sanders drew people’s attention to the obscure biblical name Shedeur last year. I have to imagine a lot of the usage was in Colorado, as Shedeur is the quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes. (His famous father, Deion Sanders, is the Buffaloes’ head coach.)

Finally, here’s a sampling of the rest of the debuts:

  • 9 baby boys: Aemond, Jesser, Kervenson, Rookie, Yefry
  • 8 baby boys: Anirved, Bakhari, Forge, Irham, Kazari, Khimir, Noen, Roic, Royalton, Thorfinn
  • 7 baby boys: Access, Daecari, Essiel, Izir, Jerze, Kaziel, Mezekiah, Nine, Omavi, Riggsley, Rza, Sullen, Varrick, Viserys, Yoakin
  • 6 baby boys: Ahzai, Aider, Bolt, Camoni, Deriam, Divino, Etson, Everyx, Jakoa, Kotah, Leonhart, Maazin, Murillo, Nkai, Olympus, Richarlison, Rifton, Safa, Valens
  • 5 baby boys: Alador, Atigun, Bayou, Bregman, Camino, Damazi, Dawensley, Endry, Ezdan, Franciel, Gudiel, Hazer, Islo, Jhonjairo, Kasden, Menua, Mictlan, Nyte, Oviyan, Pine, Remzi, Sviatoslav, Tecuani, Trophy, Widley, Yasani, Zusha

Thorfinn is a character in the Japanese anime Vinland Saga, and Varrick might come from a character in The Legend of Korra.

Rza comes from celebrity baby RZA, the son of Rihanna and ASAP Rocky. He was born in May of 2022, but his name — inspired by Wu-Tang rapper RZA, whose stage name is pronounced RIZ-uh — wasn’t revealed until May of 2023.

Viserys comes from a character in the TV series House of the Dragon.

Murillo and Richarlison are professional soccer players (both originally from Brazil).

Bregman is likely from baseball player Alex Bregman, who helped the Houston Astros win the World Series in late 2022. My guess is that the usage was mostly (perhaps entirely?) in Texas.

(A few extra facts: Atigun is a river in Alaska, Mictlan is the “land of the dead” in Aztec mythology, and Tecuani is a Nahuatl word often translated as “jaguar,” though it can refer to any non-human creature that bites.)

If you can explain any of the other debuts, please leave a comment!

Sources: SSA, Wikipedia, Online Nahuatl Dictionary

Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri

Popular baby names in Ireland, 2023

Flag of Ireland
Flag of Ireland

Last year, the Republic of Ireland — which covers five-sixths of the island of Ireland — welcomed roughly 55,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Grace and Jack.

Here are Ireland’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl Names

  1. Grace, 339 baby girls
  2. Fiadh (pronounced FEE-a), 300
  3. Emily, 297
  4. Sophie, 283
  5. Lily, 270
  6. Ellie, 252
  7. Mia, 242
  8. Amelia, 241 (tie)
  9. Éabha (pronounced EY-va), 241 (tie)
  10. Ella, 231
  11. Isla, 227
  12. Hannah, 226
  13. Sophia, 218
  14. Lucy, 214
  15. Ava, 207
  16. Sadie, 200
  17. Olivia, 199
  18. Freya, 188
  19. Emma, 183
  20. Chloe, 181
  21. Robyn, 180
  22. Molly, 176
  23. Anna, 166 (tie)
  24. Croía (pronounced KREE-a), 166 (tie)
  25. Evie, 165
  26. Caoimhe (pronounced KEE-va or KWEE-va), 158
  27. Saoirse (pronounced SEER-sha or SAYR-sha), 157 (tie)
  28. Cara, 157 (tie)
  29. Sofia, 156
  30. Millie, 150
  31. Aoife (pronounced EE-fa), 148
  32. Isabelle, 132
  33. Bonnie, 130
  34. Maya, 128 (tie)
  35. Ada, 128 (tie)
  36. Róisín (pronounced ROH-sheen), 127
  37. Ruby, 126
  38. Kate, 123 (tie)
  39. Alice, 123 (tie)
  40. Holly, 120 (3-way tie)
  41. Erin, 120 (3-way tie)
  42. Sadhbh (pronounced siev; rhymes with “5”), 120 (3-way tie)
  43. Leah, 119
  44. Isabella, 118 (3-way tie)
  45. Ailbhe (pronounced AL-va), 118 (3-way tie)
  46. Méabh (pronounced mayv), 118 (3-way tie)
  47. Zoe, 115
  48. Annie, 112
  49. Ivy, 111
  50. Willow, 110

Boy Names

  1. Jack, 561 baby boys
  2. Noah, 473
  3. James, 369
  4. Rían (pronounced REE-an), 339
  5. Oisín (pronounced UH-sheen or OH-sheen), 330
  6. Fionn (pronounced fyun or fyoon), 306
  7. Tadhg (pronounced tieg, like the first part of “tiger”), 301
  8. Liam, 289
  9. Cillian (pronounced KIL-ee-an), 275
  10. Daniel, 256
  11. Finn, 251
  12. Conor, 244 (tie)
  13. Charlie, 244 (tie)
  14. Seán (pronounced shawn), 240
  15. Michael, 239
  16. Leo, 237
  17. Theo, 233
  18. Thomas, 227
  19. Patrick, 221
  20. Luke, 215
  21. Tommy, 214
  22. Oliver, 211
  23. Adam, 201
  24. Harry, 198
  25. Luca, 197
  26. Darragh, 195
  27. Alex, 175
  28. Bobby, 157
  29. Cian (pronounced KEE-an or keen), 156
  30. Oscar, 154
  31. John, 152 (tie)
  32. Max, 152 (tie)
  33. Ryan, 151
  34. Páidí (pronounced PAW-dee), 150
  35. Jamie, 149
  36. Ben, 147
  37. Kai, 141 (tie)
  38. Ollie, 141 (tie)
  39. Tom, 135
  40. Matthew, 134
  41. Dylan, 132
  42. Callum, 131
  43. Sonny, 130
  44. Sam, 129
  45. Ethan, 127 (tie)
  46. Alfie, 127 (tie)
  47. David, 122
  48. Alexander, 118
  49. Mason, 116
  50. Caelan, 114

New to the girls’ top 100 were Lucia, Cadhla (pronounced KIE-la) and Síofra (pronounced SHEE-fra).

New to the boys’ top 100 were Caelan, Jude, Paddy, Éanna (pronounced EY-na) and Dáithí (pronounced DAH-hee).

The fastest-rising names in the top 100 in terms of numbers of babies were:

  • Éala (increased by 41 baby girls), Ailbhe (+40), Méabh (+36), Zara (+33), Croía (+26)
  • Caelan (increased by 58 baby boys), Páidí (+41), Arlo (+35), Tommy (+30), Mark (+28)

And the fastest-rising names in terms of rank were:

  • Síofra (rose 57 spots on the girls’ list), Lucia (+43), Éala (+38), Lottie (+36), Zara (+31)
  • Caelan (rose 58 spots on the boys’ list), Mark (+46), Ruairí (+41), Eoin (+37), Arlo (+31)
Map of the four provinces of Ireland
Ireland’s four provinces

Home to more than five million people, the Republic of Ireland is divided into four provinces. (One of these provinces, Ulster, lies largely within Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.) The top baby names within each of the four provinces last year were…

Top Girl NameTop Boy Name
Leinster
(56% of the population)		GraceJack
Munster
(27% of pop.)		GraceJack
Connacht
(11% of pop.)		FiadhJack
Ulster [ROI portion]
(6% of pop.)		LilyJack

And what about the baby names at the other end of the spectrum?

Here’s a selection of the names that were given to just 3 babies each in Ireland last year:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Adara, Brídín, Cushla, Dottie, Eilidh, Féile, Gillian, Hezlin, Iona, Jolene, Kalina, Lorna, Maliha, Natasha, Ocean, Philomena, Ríonach, Saffie, Tuiren, Vedika, Yasmine, ZadieAlby, Bram, Conal, Douglas, Elvis, Finnian, Gerald, Igor, Jonnie, Keenan, Lughaidh, Maitiú, Nathanael, Orin, Patryk, Rylan, Séadhna, Téidí, Ultán, Viktor, Wren, Yohan, Zachariah

Finally, here are Ireland’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources: Irish Babies’ Names – CSO (Irish Babies’ Names 2023), Births, Deaths and Marriages – CSO, Provinces of Ireland – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of Ireland (public domain)
Map: Adapted from Provinces of Ireland location map by Ssolbergj under CC BY-SA 4.0.